R\West Takes Home A Rosey For “Unimaginable”

There’s a fine line that separates good and bad marketing that uses patriotic themes and messaging to tell a story. Brands that successfully evoke national pride through American iconography and values are considered authentic and respectful, and those that fail, disingenuous or worse. And when the product in question is literally used to save the lives of U.S. military personnel, it’s absolutely critical to get it right.

R\West and client FLIR Systems, the world leader in thermal imaging technology, got it right with the film “Unimaginable.” The 73-second digital short, released on Veteran’s Day, tells the story of FLIR through the frontline soldiers that rely on its sensing technologies every day to accomplish the mission.

This past week Unimaginable won the top prize at the 2019 Rosey Awards for the Digital Video Under $50K category, in part, thanks to its realistic and empathetic portrayal of the life of a solider at war. The Rosey Awards are organized by the Portland Advertising Federation to recognize and celebrate the very best of Portland’s creative and advertising work.

Said YouTube commenter Myles Jones, “I’m active duty Army and seeing this really hit hard. It made me feel a wave of pride, as if I made the right decision to join. I wanted to say I really appreciate this video, and it probably means a lot to the veterans and members currently serving. Thank you for thanking us.”

The men and women of the military take extraordinary risks and endure unimaginable sacrifices to protect the freedoms and values we all hold dear. At R\West, we are deeply humbled to receive such heartfelt feedback from active military personnel like Myles.

R\West’s in house production company, Hidden City Films, produced the film with FLIR. It’s part of a FLIR video series honoring first responders and military personnel who put their lives on the line to save others, including Firefighters and the Coast Guard and can be viewed here.